
The Downward Path to Wisdom was, to put it simply, a very confusing story for me to
read. I am not exactly sure what message or meaning the author was hoping to pass on to
the reader, but it does seem to make the reader feel much pain for little Stephen. 
Stephen seems to be a resilient young lad. He goes about his daily routines even
though he is called dumb and is told how bad and mean he is. Perhaps he doesn&#8217;t totally
understand what his mother and grandmother say, but I know I could understand quite a
bit when I was his age. I think he did, but it is not until the end when he sings about
hating his family that the reader realizes how smart he actually is. I must say it did
surprise me. 
Another thing that confused me was the time period of the story. It could be a
story that takes place in the present, but it also could go back a hundred years, or possibly
more. From the dialect, I assume it takes place within the last twenty years or so. Also, I
doubt that parents were so cruel to there children many years ago; that is a current
problem.
Even though The Downward Path to Wisdom was very confusing, I still thought it
was a good piece that evoked much emotion within me. 
crzyninja7@aol.com
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